21 Days of Fearless: Day 8

I wouldn’t say I’m a sushi connoisseur, but I do fancy a good plate every now and then. I know what I like, and when I go out for sushi, I tend to get the same thing, over and over and over again. I was reminded of this last night when my girlfriend instinctively knew that I would order Hamachi (yellowtail) in my first dish. But in 21 Days of Fearless, this simply would not fly.

I looked at the menu and my eyes kept skipping over a sushi item I’ve never tried. The thought of it grosses me out. When I think about taking a bite of this sushi, I picture it squirming around in my mouth, maybe even electrocuting me. But I had never actually had eel, before, so how would I know?

In the name of fearlessness, I ordered the Unagi (eel). I also ordered my staple, Hamachi, to comfort me in the event that the Unagi was all that I anticipated. I was not disappointed.

It was moist and slippery, and a bit more “fishy” than the Hamachi. Unagi is served crisp on the outside, raw on the inside. Seared all around, I guess. Not my cup of tea. When I plopped the first one in my mouth and began to chew, my face said it all. “Eeew.” And still, I ate the second piece, even though Erin told me I didn’t have to. I did.

I knew I didn’t like the first bite, but I wasn’t sure if it was just in my mind or if it really tasted that bad. I needed the second bite to confirm one way or the other. The second bite confirmed, without a doubt, that I do not like Unagi.

While I won’t be ordering eel anytime soon, at least I know more about what I like and what I don’t. Since I ate the Unagi first, it made the Hamachi taste that much better. I was able to appreciate what I liked more, after having something I didn’t like. It’s the contrast that gives us texture. The more I open myself up to the possibilities of trying something new, the more opportunities I create to expand all that is wonderful in my world.

So today, I recommend trying something new. You may like it, you may not; but you’ll never know unless you try.

Related

This one is triggering something for me, as I, too, can be a creature of habit and like things the way I like them.

I’m not sure that playing Mario Kart this morning (after much begging and wrangling) with my son counts, but I certainly didn’t want to do it, had disliked it before, was pretty sure I’d fail, and ended up having a lot more fun than I’d thought.